Amelie Hotel : Botique Hotel located at Manila’s Bohemian District

1667 Jorge Bocobo Street, Malate , Manila-Philippines 

Galleon Bar

Amelie Hotel is a 70- room boutique hotel which is located at  Jorge Bocobo street near Pedro Gil ( formerly Herran street ) near University of the Philippines– Manila ,  Robinson’s Place- Midtown Plaza, Philippine Women’s University , Philippine Christian University, Adamson University , United Nations, World Health Organization ,  Rizal Park , Intramuros and within one ride away from the historic Paco and Chinatown district of Manila. All these historical places are within 3 to 4 kilometers away from the hotel.

 photo courtesy of : University of the Philippines archives

Historic Street

Dr. Jorge Bocobo  (1886-1965) was a renowned Philippine scholar, lawyer, journalist, leader, and educator. He was the fifth president of the University of the Philippines  from 1934-1939. Known to be moralist and disciplinarian, he was influential in the development of education in the Philippines. He was the one  who translated Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo into English, was born in Gerona, Tarlac.

roof deck floor can accommodate between 70 to 150 people an an ideal place to host parties, debuts, valentine’s day , new year  parties and cocktails

According to one of the manager, The site of the present hotel used to be site of an old residential home , This is the first project of Ruygroup Hotel Corporation which is being built on land formerly occupied by the Uy ancestral home with art deco architecture . The hotel’s name was from the owner ‘s  grand-daughter named ” Amelie ” .

reception area with Mr. Dandi A. Galvez ( marketing and communication manager)

Amenities

Galleon Restaurant– named after the famed (Manila Galleon) trade that fostered goods and cultural exchanges between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico  by Mario’s Kitchen offers international cuisine sure to satisfy a wide range of palates .

linear art deco map

Galleon’s restaurant and bar serves , unique , familiar and fusion dishes . The restaurant provides all day , dining , room service and catering for functions and special occasions.

center piece leaf arrangement

In addition to spacious rooms, computer kiosks are available in the lobby as well as printing and facsimile services. There is a roof deck gym is also open to  guests.

Amelie Hotel Manila’s location in Malate makes it the perfect base for exploring the vibrant city of Manila and its neighboring cities. We are located just 13km from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and 7km from the Domestic Airport (NAIA Terminal 4).  The business districts of Makati and Bonifacio Global City are 12km away.

Deluxe 1

There are 37 Deluxe rooms  with a total area of 26 square meters . The room can accommodate  between 1 to 2 person.

Deluxe 2

DELUXE-2 rooms are suitable for families, friends or colleagues traveling together. The room accommodate between 2 to 4 persons with 33 square meters . There are 24 rooms available  . While Executive rooms can accommodate between 2 to 3 people with 9 rooms with 31 square meters .

group photo

We are quite fortunate to get invited by the resident PR and got a chance to meet the owners and staffs of the hotel.

Note: The author would like to ” Thank” Mr. Mark Abellon – brand manager , Ms. Mars Callo and the PR team for the invitation extended.

Main +63 (2) 875 7888 | Fax +63 (2) 995 3972

Address: 1667 J. Bocobo St. Malate, Manila 1004 PH

Website: http://www.ameliehotelmanila.com/

inquiry@ameliehotelmanila.com

Advertisements

The Women of Rizal exhibit

SM North EDSA – The Block, Quezon City

SM Super malls  in cooperation with Yuchengco Museum,  7 Castle Corporation ,  National Commission for the Culture and the Arts, Goethe Institut and the descendants of Dr. Jose P. Rizal  opened a  week- long exhibit which is  will be held in SM North EDSA and SM  Biñan in Laguna . The event is open to the public during mall hours.

Crowd during the opening

The author was fortunate to be invited and as  Rizal’s  150th birthday celebration draws to a close , The exhibit  will highlight the significant events in Rizal’s life and our country’s history . The exhibit was segmented into 4 themes  Rizal in Europe , The Women of Rizal , The Rizal family ancestry and descendants ,  The Rizal monument in Luneta   . There are also several huge building replica’s  of various places, buildings, monuments that were visited by Dr. Jose Rizal during his various trip abroad.

replica of the buildings in France as viewed from the balcony

These  replica’s were strategically placed  so that visitors in the exhibition site can have the feeling and  have an opportunity to pose for a souvenir shot at the places that were visited by Rizal.

replica of Arch di Triomphe

Visitors will be  able to follow Rizal’s footsteps in Europe with replicas of the places he lived and visited.  These included the Blaue Stern Hotel in Czechoslovakia where Rizal met visited in 1887 to meet Professor  Ferdinand Blumentritt in 1887.

replica of St. Stephen Cathedral in Austria

St.Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria where he prayed ; the University of Eye Clinic in Heidelberg where he completed his ophthalmologist studies; the Rizal monument in the Avenida de Filipinas, Madrid, Spain and the view of Rizal’s hotel room and Arch di Triomphe in France.

Ferdinand Blumentritt sketch by Juan Luna

There will also be storytelling sessions called “Mga Kuwento ni Pepe,” were to be held at SM City Calamba and SM City North EDSA. The roving exhibit aims to provide more awareness to the public.

The exhibit features portraits of women who have been part of our National Hero’s life –his mother Teodora Alonso y Realonda , as well as the women he has been romantically linked with beginning with Ms. Segunda Katigbak to his great love Ms. Leonor Rivera, and  Josephine Bracken.

Ms. Leonor Rivera- Kipping ( August 11, 1967 to August 28, 1893 )

She is considered as the childhood sweetheart . He romantic links to Dr. Rizal is said to have lasted 8 years. She was immortalized  as the character Maria Clara in Noli Me Tangere.

Her original hometown  is  in Camiling , Tarlac  and the daughter of Antonio Rivera and Silvestra Bauzon.  She studied in La Concordia College.

Ms. Rivera was later married a British engineer,  Mr. Henry Kipping . She died in August 28, 1893 from complications of childbirth .

These are  tarpaulin print  reproduction of oil on canvas portraits painted by renowned priest-artist Fr. Armand Tangi of the Society of Saint Paul for the Yuchengco Museum’s Loves of Rizal Exhibition in 2011.

family tree linage of Jose Rizal

The exhibit also gives a rare glimpse of Rizal’s other women, descendants of his brother Paciano and sisters Saturnina, Narcisa, Olympia, Lucia, Maria, and Soledad in beautiful black and white portraits by photographer Mr. Raymund Isaac.

Mr. Jose Arguelles

These are accomplished women and men (Soledad’s grandson Jose L. Arguelles, 94, is also included) who would have made their ancestor proud.

Lulu Hidalgo Tinio is President and Chairman of Saturnina Estate Development Corporation; Minney Reyes is a Managing Partner of Suarez and Reyes Law Offices; Tess Herbosa is the Chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Mia Sy-Quia Faustmann manages 7 Castles, a jewelry export business; and Barbara Gonzalez, once headed an advertising agency and now is also in the jewelry business.

The lone gentleman, Tito Pempot, as he is called, is equally distinguished. He was President of IBM Philippines, President of BenLife Insurance, and Treasurer and Board Member of National Teacher’s College.

Those who married successful men also found their voice. Concepcion Arguelles Feria or Tita Chit, wife to former Supreme Court Justice Jose Feria, is an active member of many religious societies. Marlene Lopez Jacinto, widow of steel businessman Fernando Jacinto, Jr., is an artist, graphic designer, and manages the family business.

Ms. Ana Maria Belen Bantug -Tan and Ms. Narcisa Consunji-Torres

Great granddaughters of Narcissa Rizal -(1852-1939), Mrs. Ana Maria Belen Bantug-Tan is the mother of former ABS-CBN channel 2 new reporter and current PTV channel 4  news anchor Mr. Robert Bantug- Tan.

Ms. Marilu – Bautista and Ms. Rise Fillart-Scott

Great granddaughters of  Olympia Rizal

Dr. Jose P. Rizal y Realonda  will be happy to know that many of his descendants have played an active role in nation building thru their personal advocacies . Ms. Ester Lopez Azurin is active in public service as President of Kaanak, a group of descendants of Fil-Am warriors and a barangay kagawad. Rose Filart- Scott is a psychotherapist and counselor and training consultant for In Touch Community Services. Ms. Trixie Grau is a Board Member of Binhi English Literacy Foundation, an NGO that aims to provide literacy kits to children in marginalized areas. ‘Tess Herbosa’s advocacy is the protection of children against child abuse.

I just wonder “why ” Ms. Gemma Cruz- Araneta was not included in the roster of the descendants of Rizal ? After all she also brought honors to the country by winning the prestigious Miss International pageant in 1964 . Maybe this exhibit wants to focus on the other descendants of the Rizal clan.

Tales of 1971 Piso Coin

A good feature story aired last sunday by Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho at GMA channel 7 featured some FB group buying sites and some coin collectors looking for the rare 1971 1 peso coin.

This trigger some online debates and discussion about this rare coin in circulation.  The 1970’s coins were in general use up until the early 1990’s before the coins were demonetized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas along with the Ang Bagong Lipunan bills. They are used for payments in jeepney fares and loose change in small sari-sari stores.

Started collecting these types of coins whenever i had a chance to see them, most are in poor condition and an aunt even gave me over a dozen pieces of the 1972 1 peso coin as some sort of Christmas gift. ( also in circulated condition )

The coins are larger compared to the flora and fauna series issued by BSP in the 1980’s and a smaller coin series ( flora and fauna series 1994)  which is very unpopular among collectors and masses since they are quite small.

There were some rumors way back in the late 1990’s that some of the 1970’s  Marcos era coins are worth something and they have some gold content. The uncirculated ones and the ones that were polished with modern metal polish would have a yellowish color glow that makes people believed that it had gold or had white gold content. Some gullible people began hoarding them. People believed in the story, since there are some sidewalk vendors making them as rings or accessories, soaking them in calamansi solution. Some of them are still around Recto, Divisoria and provinces until now peddling items made from these coins.  I should have taken some photos for record purposes.

Metallic Content

“All the coins issued by then Central Bank of the Philippines and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas do not contain precious metals particularly, silver and gold. Moreover, the value of the metallic contents of the BSP coins is determined by world market prices of metals.” – Page 5, Item #20, Banknotes and Coins March 2015.

At the height of the frenzy, Some people began spreading rumors in some buy and sell sites that each coin can be bought around Php 100 each regardless of the condition to as much as Php 1,000 each or even more !

NOLI Me Tangere Obverse

Another rumor that circulated for decades was the rare 1971 1 peso series with a Noli Me Tangere obverse and such coins are worth at least Php 200 to 1 million pesos . I have seen a couple of these coins being sold before in Recto at a local coin dealer way back in 1999 . I always do some researches later to found out that there are some private individuals and unscrupulous coin dealers or medal makers that would counter stamp or re-strike these coins to sell maybe to unsuspecting local or foreign collectors who would collect these kinds of novelty items, some say fantasy issue. Banking on the so called rarity, exclusiveness of the issuance.

This is not a rare case for coins but for stamps and other items that are collectible.   P.D No. 247  and BSP Circular No 61

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Philippines and pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081 dated September 21, 1972, Proclamation No. 1104 dated January 17, 1973, and General Order No. 1 dated September 22, 1972, and in order to effect the desired changes and reforms in the social, economic and political structure of our society, do hereby order and decree:

1. That it shall be unlawful for any person to willfully deface, mutilate, tear, burn or destroy, in any manner whatsoever, currency notes and coins issued by the Central Bank of the Philippines; and

2. That any person who shall violate this Decree shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than twenty thousand pesos and/or by imprisonment of not more than five years.

Reason : Sales Gimmick or Failure to Issue on Time ?

The law created which does not have a fang. I have seen some banknotes overprinted with the Pope Francis visit.  Which is not an official souvenir item issued by the BSP ( I think some private individual issued these so-called fantasy or  counter-stamping issues for remembrance of the occasion and failure of BSP and even Post Office to issue sufficient number of stamps and coins during the visit of Pope Francis in 2015) or delayed issuance?

The BSP flawed online registration drew some negative comments especially among old time collectors which are not tech savy and does not have any email accounts. Worst case scenario is that it took several months before the coins from BSP were sold to en-mass. Even until 2017( two years after the Pope Francis visit) and with a new BSP head. Some of those who ordered via email still have to receive the coins.

For stamps, People had to wait for long lines at the Manila Central Post office for long hours and the delivery for the Pope Francis stamps and souvenir sheet was even delayed or several hours during the first day. The author is one of the several hundreds or even thousands of people who lined -up just to purchase the commemorative stamps.  Taking a leave of absence for two days and loss of productive time.

Personal Letter to BSP Governor Amando Tetangco

I personally wrote a letter address to the former BSP governor Amando Tetangco way back in 2015 for some of the old members who cannot order online – the limited Pope Francis coins ( we only ordered just few coins for our old members from the provinces and those who do not have access to internet ) ONLY to be rejected few months later, after BSP staffs have assured us of having the priority order. Even personally going to the office of the governor of the BSP in Manila. Sadly two died without even seeing the commemorative coin.

I would have shrug off the story aired by KMJS last sunday. I think it was more of an information dissemination to create a decent rating out of ONE in a Million or Treasure Hunting stories which surely will create some noise. Got several emails and inquiries in this blog about the coin.

Wrote this short article to inform people that there is no such truth about the rare 1971 issuance for those who wanted to know the number of coins that were made.

Technical Description 

Obverse : Shield of the Republic of the Philippines, Lettering:
REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS , REPUBLIKA NG PILIPINAS , * BANGKO 1972 SENTRAL *

Translation: Republic of the Philippines

Central Bank of the Philippines : 1972

Reverse : Head of Jose Rizal left 

Lettering: P I S O 1 JOSE RIZAL

Translation: 1 Piso Jose Rizal

Edge

Reeded

Quantities ( Number of Coins Made or Minted)

1972 -121,821,000

1974- 10,000 -proof set

1974- 45,631,000

 

A Visit to San Miguel Arcangel Church in San Miguel , Bulacan

De Leon St., Barangay. Poblacion,San Miguel, Bulacan province

San Miguel Archangel Church facade

Lakad Pamana with the partnership of Arki’s Tambayan, local government of San Miguel , Bulacan ,  Clarita Water , Sweet Bulakenya products , Mr. Rolly Reyes, Ms. Aida Yamaguchi of Banal na Bundok , San Miguel residents Mr. Pat Fajardo,  Mr. Lorenzo Buencamino had organized a cultural , heritage and industry tour of San Miguel , Bulacan to commemorate the 118th anniversary of independence day . 

San Miguel Archangel Church and convent

Travel time from Quezon City to San Miguel had become much faster compared several years ago, When we would endure 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours just to visit the famed municipality .We left Trinoma area past 6:30am and arrived around past 8:00am at Arki’s Tambayan before we toured the church.

interior of the church

This is due to many factors, road are cemented and less traffic due to the public holidays. There is also an ongoing road construction ( viaduct ) which connects the town of San Miguel to Balagtas exit , making travel time even much faster .

San Miguel

fountain

There are old narra trees and fountains within the church premises.

historical timeline

History:

It is believed that the town of San Miguel was initially established as a town under the province of Pampanga.  The parish of San Miguel de Mayumo was founded years before 1607 as a visita of Candaba .It was  declared an independent parish in 1725. However, some records tell that the parish of San Miguel was later annexed to Gapan , Nueva Ecija in 1726 as a visita. It was also recorded that San Miguel de Mayumo was once annexed to Macabebe, Pampanga also as a visita in 1763.

names of the parishioners who donated money for the restoration and rehabilitation of the church.

Augustinian Friars:

>1742 Reverend Father Agustin Galeeran-Ministro
>1744 Reverend Father Francisco Alvarez
>1750 Reverend Father Miguel Arias
>1751 Reverend Father Jose Vega Sirvio
>1756 Reverend Father Agustin Alejandro Dominguez
>1759 Reverend Father Juan de Oro
>1769 Reverend Father Gabriel Homar
>1773 Reverend Father Francisco Gonzales
>1839-1840 Reverend Father D. Mariano Buencamino
>1842-1843 Reverend Father D. Anselmo Fajardo
>1847-1849 Reverend Father Antonio de la Fuente
>1850-1863 Reverend Father Juan Manuel Tombo
>1864 Reverend Father Benito Perez
>1866-1870 Reverend Father Eugenio Ortiz
>1875-1879 Reverend Father Francisco Arriola
>1879-1886 Reverend Father Alejandro Hernandez
>1890-1891 Reverend Father Antonio de Piernavida
>1893 Reverend Father Pablo Alvarez
>1894-1898 Reverend Father Joaquin Garcia
>1897 Reverend Father Agapito Pena

Filipino Parish Priests:

>June 15, 1898—1922 Reverend Father Ildefonso Carranza
>July 4, 1923—1931 Reverend Father Deogracias R. Javier
>January 1931— – – – – Ilmo. Monsignor Marcelino Fajardo, P.C.
>August 5, 1931—1936 Reverend Father Arsenio Nicdao
>June 14, 1936—1948 Ilmo. Father Honorio Resurreccion, D.P.
>March 15, 1948—1951 Reverend Father Francisco Domingo
>April 15, 1951—1955 Ilmo. Monsignor Arsenio Reyes, P.C.
>May 10, 1955—1957 Ilmo. Monsignor Pedro L. Abad, P.C.
>May 10, 1957—1968 Ilmo. Monsignor Jose B. Aguinaldo, A.D.
>June 1968—1985 Rt. Rdo. Monsignor Jose M. Salas, D.P.
>June 20, 1985—1987 Reverend Father Paulo Dimagiba
>November 4, 1987—1988 Reverend Father Marcelo Sanchez
>September 5, 1988 Rt. Reverend Monsignor Jaime S. Garcia
>Reverend Father Francisco J. Vistan
>Reverend Father Javier B. Joaquin
>Reverend Father Virgilio M. Cruz

Saint Micheal of Archangel statue

Architecture:

The church, with its predominantly Baroque features, has a two-level façade and a curved pediment surmounted by the rectangular belfry with a bulbous dome .

The façade is primarily adorned by the paired pilasters  and multi-edged cornices dividing the front into several sections.

retablo

The dome was partly destroyed during the second world war and was restored few years later. the main retablo still boast of beaten silver works , candelabra ( candle holder ) and statue of Saint Micheal of Archangel .

The group also toured the church yard and was led to the niches of the prominent families of the place that was buried.

Dr. Maximo Sison Viola and his wife Juana Roura de Viola

Dr. Maximo Sison Viola (1857–1933) was a propagandist, writer, revolutionary leader and doctor from San Miguel, Bulacan.

He is known as the best friend and confidant of Dr. Jose Rizal  in Europe. They work together, they visited museums, art gallery, restaurants and stayed in hotels to work there in Europe. He led a fight against the Spaniards with his two brothers and stayed at Biak-na-Bato. . He also financed the publication of  Noli Me Tangere , the first 2000 copies of the novel in 1887. He studied medicine in University of Santo Tomas and in 1882 he went to Spain to continue his studies. He finished his course in the year 1886.

The group saw Mr. Freddie Goyena – proprietor of Goyena Special Chicharon within the church courtyard.

After a short tour of the church and courtyard , The group went to the municipal building and several ancestral houses .

References:

Bulacan Government : http://www.bulacan.gov.ph/generalinfo/hero.php?id=33

NHCP : http://nhcp.gov.ph/dr-maximo-s-viola-the-man-who-first-read-the-noli-me-tangere/

https://smdmkatkkk.wordpress.com/category/saint-michael-the-archangel-parish/

Mr. Lorenzo Buencamino

A Visit to San Juan de Dios Church and Parochial Museum

San Juan de Dios Church and Parochial Museum, Barangay Poblacion ,  San Rafael – Bulacan province

San Rafael Poblacion Church is also known as San Juan De Dios Parish

The town of San Rafael had its humble beginning as part of the Hacienda de Buenavista ( now part of San Ildefonso )  under the San Juan de Dios brothers. Though belonging to that religious group, the place was however administered by the Augustinian friars who established the mission in 1750.

curve facade

The church architecture is a classic example of Partido Baroque architecture in the Philippines. The style, popular from the early to mid-19th century, boasts of a curved facade as opposed to the flat ones typically found in other Baroque churches in the country.

historical marker

interior of the church

church altar

The church facade and interiors were painted in pastel colors,  looks bright and pleasing to the eyes, but it had a grim and sad story to tell behind those pastel colored walls and facade . The church and the nearby parochial college tells a different story .

Colegio de San Juan de Dios with century- old acacia trees

We also took some photos of Colegio de San Juan de Dios ( the college used to be known as Saint Paul’s School) .The school premises had several large acacia trees with dischidias or manaog ka irog which cling to their massive trunks.   When some of us took the first glanced at the structure, we felt some eerie  feelings and felt that someone is looking at us . According to one of the locals , parts of the present school used to be part of the public cemetery .

 artist depiction  of battle of San Rafael inside the church 

Local historian and town folks  said that bodies of those people which numbered from 800 to more than 1,000 people were killed on November 30, 1896 . There was a town fiesta and people were at the church premises when the massacre took place, they are mostly innocent civilians , children and people who came for the fiesta .

church bell cast from Hilario Sunico foundry in Binondo

San Juan de Dios Parish Museum / San Rafael Parochial Museum or Museo San Rafael

The Museo San Rafael was officially opened on September 29, 2006 during the feast of San Rafael, coinciding with the 256th founding anniversary of the town. Besides the main hall of the convent, three rooms now house different exhibits.

 saint images and ecclesiastical items used by the church 

We took some time exploring the church and also the parish museum.  Mr. Chael Santos had negotiated prior hand  with the parish priest , Our tour group was allowed entry at the parish museum .

church vestments

There is also a place where the parish museum had an interesting display of church vestments .

period costumes on display

There were some period costumes on display reflecting a gentle era of the town

old retablo

sala set made from wood

The public can visit the parish museum during office hours but the staffs and parish priest must be inform several days prior to the visit. One must also be very careful in their steps,  since parts of the wood flooring is weak and were eaten by termites .

Our group was allowed to enter another exhibit are which they call museo ng bayan exhibit , only 3 to 4 people were allowed to enter since the floor is not that stable .

Story of Crispin , Basilio and Noli Me Tangere :

People from the town believes that Dr. Jose P. Rizal  was inspired to create the characters Sisa, Basilio and Crispin (in his novel Noli Me Tangere)  published in Berlin in 1887. Noli Me Tangere and its sequel, El Filibusterismo, exposed abuses of the Spanish friars and earned for Rizal the ire of the Spanish authorities.  The novel was said to have been adapted to the real-life story in San Rafael during the late 19th century . Recalling the story from Rizal’s novel, the two brothers were serving as bell ringers in the church to help their mother ( Sisa)  by earning money.

life-sized mannequin  of Dr. Jose P. Rizal and painting of crispin , basilio and sacristan mayor

The Rizal mannequin sits behind a desk, writing. He faces the well where Crispin’s body was supposedly dumped.

On one occasion, the sacristan mayor accused Crispin of stealing an amount of money. Crispin was punished by the sacristan mayor and was believed to have died inside the church premises. On the day the loss was discovered ( 2 gold coins ) , He was not permitted to leave the convent, while his elder brother was allowed to leave only after 10 p.m., which was past the 9 p.m. curfew.

painting showed the physical abuse of Crispin and Basilio

As proof of the local legend, locals point to a blood-stained wall off the side of the convent in a small room where supposedly the young “Crispin” was tortured to death today their soul are present in convent.

hand stained portion of the wall believed to be that of Crispin

The head sacristan dragged Crispin down the stairs from the bell tower and into the shadows. That was the last time Basilio saw his younger brother.

church belfry

Some stories would tell of the revolutionary period where hundreds and even thousand of people perished.  the hand marks used to be in darker and more reddish in color several years ago , before this portion of the church was renovated in the late 1990’s .

This is the area where locals believed that Crispin was push to his death and Basilio escaped .

well

Fray Antonio Piernavieja was the friar that Dr. Jose Rizal took his character inspiration for Padre Salvi . It was widely believed that he was the said priest in the novel. He was transferred to Cavite in the middle part of 1896 when the revolution broke out . He was taken as a prisoner and made as a bishop by the Filipino insurgents  .

group photo

Fray Antonio Piernavieja took the advantage of his new position and gave vital information and tactical plans of the insurgents to the Spanish authorities that were based in Manila. Upon the discovery of the plan , the insurgents tied the friar in an open field and left him to die from hunger and thirst.

group photo

People would also claim the cemetery mentioned in Rizal’s novel is the Pasong Instik area.

We got to have a group photo before we bid farewell to the local priest and gave our donation to the museum .  Some of us had still some questions in our mind , if the stories are true , was it based on a true story or urban legend that refuses to die .

 References and Bibliographies :

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo books

San Rafael Website: http://www.sanrafael.gov.ph

Official Website of the Municipal Government of San Rafael. “San Rafael Festivals”. sanrafael.gov.ph. Retrieved May 24, 2014.

Official Website of the Provincial Government of Bulacan. http://bulacan.gov.ph/sanrafael/history.php

Philippine Star : http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2014/05/15/1323160/haunting-san-rafael-church

Zamora, F. “Sisa, Crispin and Basilio lived here, say Bulacan townsfolk”. inquirer.net. Retrieved May 24, 2014.